Safe Place
by SP22
Summary: Here is a one-shot story about Dick and Barbara and how their feelings evolved from a platonic friendship into a romantic one. Even though Barbara's apartment isn't in the safest part of town, Dick's safe place is always with her. Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl


Here is a one-shot story about Dick and Barbara and how their feelings evolved from a plutonic friendship into a romantic one. Even though Barbara's apartment isn't in the safest part of town, Dick's safe place is always with her.

Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl

Dick Grayson tossed and turned in his sheets. The room was dark, not even the moon was shining through his window and everything around him was silent, yet he lay wide awake. Late nights seemed to consume him, it was a never-ending battle but he always seemed to be on the losing end. He never got to feel the victory of drifting off to sleep. His mind was too restless and it always ran the same course.

First he would think about his own complexion, covered in a sleek domino mask that concealed bruised eyes and cuts that he earned fighting the streets of Gotham City. Then, he would think about his latest fight—the maniacal look on the villains faces as they fired ammo from their guns or yelled obscenities at the GCPD officers that guarded the city with their lives. He thought about Batman, who was usually fighting alongside him. The man who rescued him, raised him. If it hadn't been for Batman… who's to say Dick Grayson wouldn't be in the role of the villain instead of the hero. Then he thought about who he was before the mask, he was so young-hell, he was still young. Back then he still had the innocence that accompanies most childhoods, but following the brutal murder of his parents by one of Gotham's notorious mob bosses, all that innocence vanished. The image of his parents falling from their trapezes to their impending death played over and over in Dick's mind. It never seemed to fade, only becoming more vivid and emotionally scarring with time. As the thought about the terrible things he's seen dance over and over in his mind, night after night, it always ended the same way, with the face of a girl. A flash of auburn and green and suddenly, his heart rate returns to normal. Barbara's face always granted him solace, just thinking of her _used to be_ enough to calm his nerves enough to fall asleep.

He lay awake in bed, recalling the first night that all changed.

 _It was sometime in late Winter. The night began just like any other… He was in his bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling until the inner demons came flooding into his mind. It was after a battle with the Joker. He and Batman had responded to the call. Barbara was off duty studying for her final exams. Something that the clown said had stuck with Dick. The words playing over in his head…" Why'd you leave the pretty one at home, Batman? I'd love for her to come out and play." These words were followed by Joker's signature laugh and menacing grin. This time when Dick thought of Barbara's face, it didn't calm him. He thought about how dangerous this life was for her— how at any moment he could lose her, just like he did his parents._

 _Dick swung out of bed and hastily dawned his Nightwing costume. He opened the window of his room and leapt from it, leaving the Wayne manor behind and speeding off toward Barbara's apartment._

 _Barbara didn't live in a very safe neighborhood, it was rated as one of Gotham's biggest crime hotspots. In the time it took Dick to get from the Wayne Manor to her rundown apartment complex, he heard 2 gun shots and stopped a drug deal that was about go down in a dark alley behind her apartment. He managed to scare them off and then climbed up a near by fire escape to reach the 3rd floor. From there, it was only a three yard stretch on the gutters of the old apartment building and he was directly in front of Barbara's window._

 _He was careful to land quietly on his feet, so not to wake her. He peered into her tiny studio apartment. She had books and papers scattered about, no doubt from studying late. Her laptop was still open, dimly lighting the room enough for Dick to see that Barbara was passed out cold on her bed. She had her face bundled up into the sheets, he knew this was Barbara's favorite way to sleep. Seeing her at peace finally soothed him. He just needed to see that she was okay._

 _'Damn it Grayson,' he thought to himself 'You can't be sneaking out here every night just so you can clear your head…'_

But that's exactly what did happen. After that night, Dick wasn't able to put his mind at ease until he got to Barbara's apartment. Just to check on her and see that she was sleeping soundly. That was all he needed. He would sit out on the edge of her window, quietly looking in on her and then out onto the city he had sworn to protect. But the truth? Dick didn't give a damn about this city, after all it had put him through, he sure would like to watch it burn. But deep down he knew he would never be able to do that. Barbara loved this city, she saw hope in its slums and in its ghettos, hope that it could still change. That's when Dick decided that if protecting this silly red-headed girl meant protecting the city she loved, then so be it.

It was later that Spring, when Dick's seasonal allergies got the best of him, that Barbara first discovered him out on her window.

 _It was a quiet night in Gotham, a rare occasion indeed. Not even a police siren could be heard in the distance. Dick had taken his usual route up to Barbara's window. He rested his back against the edge and let one of his legs dangle off the side of the building. Heights never bothered Dick Grayson. After growing up in a circus and swinging from trapezes, there really wasn't any room for such fear in his mind. Dick was so caught up in his memory he didn't feel the sudden sneeze coming on…_

"ATCHOOO" Dick's eyes widened as he turned his attention to Barbara. The sudden sound had caused her to stir in her sleep.

"Damn this hay fever…" He cursed under his breath. For a brief second he thought about fleeing. He could see Barbara beginning to wake up. But something stopped him.

Barbara lifted her heavy eyelids to search for the source of the strange sound. She saw a dark shadowy outline perched on her window. Too sleepy to be terrified at this fact and half certain it must be a dream, she rose from her bed to get a closer look. Once she realized who it was, she opened her window.

Dick cleared his throat, thinking of an appropriate thing to say.

"What on Earth are you doing here Grayson?" She rolled her tired eyes.

"You have a nice view up here." He scoffed.

Barbara let out a groan. "Whatever. Come in." She stepped away from the window, allowing him room to climb inside. Dick closed the window behind him.

Barbara was wearing a baggy 'Gotham University' tee shirt and a pair of black boy-short style underwear. She didn't feel embarrassed wearing this in front of Dick, probably because she was still half asleep, but also, because Dick had seen her at her worst- her best- and everything in between. There were very few boundaries within their relationship.

"For future reference," Barbara stated, "This is my door. It works just as well from the outside as it does the inside so feel free to use it." She sarcastically presented the door to him as if it were a game show prize.

Dick chuckled in response.

Barbara stumbled back to her bed. "So what really brings you here so late?" She mumbled.

"I just needed to clear my head…" He sighed.

"Trouble sleeping again?"

"Can't say it ever really went away, but it's been getting worse lately." He rubbed the back of his head.

"How come?" Barbara asked, her voice was still sleepy, but Dick could tell she was genuinely concerned.

Barbara was no stranger to Dick's past. She knew about his parents, about how he came to be Robin and then Nightwing. She'd been there through it all. She knew well that the image of his parents haunted him even now, a near decade later. With the added stress of being a Super Hero Dick always had a difficult time getting a restful night's sleep.

"Is this about your parents?" She asked. She didn't feel the need to sugar coat it, they were beyond that point in their relationship. Plus, they were trained detectives. Direct questions got direct answers.

"No, it's not that… It's…"

"What is it?" Barbara sat up in her bed a bit, patting the spot beside her, motioning Dick to sit down.

He took a seat next to her, his face turned away from her, he felt so ashamed. "It's about you, Barbara."

"Wh-What about me?" She stuttered in confusion. She placed a hand gently on his shoulder to comfort him.

The clearly distressed Dick Grayson had to quickly put into words the abstractness of his thoughts.

"I just worry about you. This place. This job. This life. It's dangerous."

"Sure it is, I know the risks involved."

"Do you? You'd risk your own life for this city?" He turned to her with a furrowed brow, his expression indicated that he was almost personally offended by this statement. Barbara took note.

"Gladly." She said, with a small smile that glowed in the moonlight.

"How can you say that, Barbara?" Dick buried his face into the palms of his hands.

"Because I know it's what's right. Someone's gotta do it."

"But it doesn't have to be you!"

Barbara was growing tired of this conversation rather quickly. This wasn't about her being Batgirl, this was about something more.

"Ok Richard Grayson, cut the crap, what is this really about." She crossed her arms and pierced through his soul with her serious gaze.

Dick let out a heavy sigh. "I'm scared to lose you Barbara… I don't want to lose you like I did my parents.."

Barbara's gaze instantly softened. "Oh Dick." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You silly boy, you know that's never going to happen."

"I don't know that…" He turned, his voice cracking softly.

"Well I do. She grabbed his face and turned it to meet hers. "As long as you've got my back I know I'll be okay."

Dick covered one of her hands with his own, stroking it softly. He let a small smile cross his lips, though his eyes were still sad.

"You really need to stop getting so caught up in your own head. It's not healthy."

Dick sighed, nodding in response.

"Maybe you're just sleep deprived."

Barbara lifted up the blankets and wrapped them around Dick and herself. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."

Dick wasn't expecting this, luckily it was dark so Barbara wouldn't see how red his cheeks were. But nonetheless, he felt comfortable climbing into bed with her. They had known each other for so long. They used to sleep in the same bed all the time when they went away on missions. Of course they were children back then, at least by age. Mentally, they were wise beyond their years.

However, all these thoughts seized when Dick's head hit Barbara's pillow. He was asleep within moments. That hadn't happened in years. Barbara chuckled to herself as she noticed his breathing soften and his body relax.

"Good night, Grayson." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

Dick woke up when he felt the sun streaming in through the window, it warmed the back of his neck. He winced as he opened his eyes and turned back away from the sunlight, which was climbing high in the sky indicating it was around mid-morning.

He looked down to gaze upon Barbara's still sleeping face. He wanted to kiss her so badly at that moment.

Barbara had a funny feeling she was being watched so she slowly opened her eyes, she wasn't surprised when she found the culprit. "Morning Grayson."

"Hey." He said in his raspy morning voice, his glance darted away. There was a slight sign of discomfort on his face. He wasn't quite sure what his role was now. Friend? More-than-friend? Bunk-buddy?

In that moment Dick Grayson was imagining what individuals felt like after a one night stand. When the two suckers wake up the next day and have no idea where they stand at all. Dick felt a little like that sucker. But Barbara came to rescue him from his thoughts.

"Wow, we really slept in." She sat up and looked at her phone. "It's already 9:15 I gotta get ready for class!"

Dick took that as his cue to get ready to leave. He gazed upon her pillow one more time, not knowing if he would ever see it again. After all it was Saturday, it wasn't likely that Barbara even had classes today.

"I know what you're thinking, but I actually enjoy Saturday classes."

He stood corrected.

"By the way, how did you sleep?" She spoke, her head halfway through a navy-blue v-neck teeshirt.

"Better than I have in a long time."

"It sure seemed like it, you were like a rock all night. And if I didn't know better, I would say those bags under your eyes have almost returned to a human-like shade again." She chuckled.

"Yeah, thanks again for letting me stay here." He rubbed the back of his head, combing his fingers through his hair. "I can go ahead and get out of your way now."

Barbara huffed. "Look, Grayson. I'm gonna give you my spare key. If you ever need to crash here you can. I worry about you not getting enough sleep as it is. It brings me comfort witnessing you get some shut eye for myself." She placed the key in his hand and wrapped his fingers tightly around it. Dick let a smile pass over his lips.

"Anyways, I gotta run!" Barbara crammed all of her textbooks into her backpack, it wouldn't even zip all the way and it looked as if the stitches were going to give at any moment.

Dick waved goodbye to Barbara as she darted off in the direction of the university. He left shortly after her, locking the door behind him with his new key. He then began his journey back to Wayne manor. In daylight it wasn't as easy for him to leap from building to building, so it made the trip a little longer. But he didn't mind. It was a beautiful spring day. Maybe that goodnight's sleep had done him some good after all.

When he opened the door to Wayne manor he could see Alfred and Bruce sitting in the dining room. He pulled up a seat at the table opposite of Bruce. Alfred left the room to fetch the boy some food. Bruce's head was barely visible over the daily edition of the _Gotham Journal_ newspaper. But he heard a voice drone from behind the paper.

"Where were you last night?" Bruce asked in his fatherly tone.

Dick saw no point in lying. "I went and stayed at Barbara's place."

Bruce lowered his paper to meet Dick's gaze. "hmm." He raised an eyebrow. This was about as shocked as Bruce Wayne's expression could get.

Dick brushed it off, he didn't need to answer to Bruce. However, the silence that followed made them both feel uneasy. Dick scarfed down his food in record time and excused himself promptly to escape the obvious tension.

As soon as Bruce and Alfred heard Dick's footsteps fade down the hallway Bruce spoke. "Well, Alfred, what do you make of that?"

"Of what, sir?" Alfred filled Master Bruce's coffee cup for the sixth time that morning.

"Of Dick spending the night at Barbara Gordon's apartment."

"Well sir, I've made something of the two for quite some time. It's no surprise to me."

"Don't you think he's a little young?" Bruce sipped his coffee, he drank it black, just as the Dark Knight should.

"Peculiar how you would infer that about Master Grayson's romantic affairs but not about his life as a vigilante crime fighter, sir."

Alfred's comment made Bruce choke on his coffee. Alfred Pennyworth was the only man alive who was able to leave Bruce speechless and without a rebuttal.

"May I clear your plate?"

Bruce gave a slightly intimidated nod.

Dick Grayson had exited Wayne manor once again and mounted his motorcycle. He was already planning on returning to Barbara's house that evening, however, he wanted to give Barbara a token of appreciation. He felt this subconscious need to prove that he appreciated her. Above all, he didn't want to feel like he was imposing on her in her own house.

Dick thought about what he could give to her to prove his appreciation.

Flowers? No Grayson, don't be stupid. She's not your girlfriend. Though the thought bounced around his head for a brief fleeting moment and caused an involuntary smile to appear on his otherwise stoic face.

Chocolates? Oh God, that's even worse than flowers.

A fruit basket? What the hell Grayson, she's not your 3rd grade teacher.

'Think!' He mentally cursed himself. Then he suddenly had a flashback from that morning. He recalled Barbara cramming all her books into her old worn down backpack. Those stitches were sure to give way any day.

'That's it! I'll get her a new backpack!' He praised himself for thinking of such a novel idea.

He took off towards Uptown Gotham, which was notorious for it's shopping centers. Dick hadn't gone there often, but it was where Bruce would always go whenever he had to buy a gift for one of his many lady friends.

When Dick arrived, he was a bit overwhelmed. There were so many stores, so many brands. He didn't know where to start. 'Coach? Louis-Vuitton? Prada? Fendi?' Dick was getting dizzy. Every purse store he passed was filed with bags that were overly flashy, not to mention grossly overpriced. Not Barbara's cup of tea. Then Dick passed a store that didn't automatically make his head hurt and eyes cringe. "Michael Kors?" He peeked inside and saw that none of these bags were too flashy. They were high quality and a more reasonable price when compared to some of the others.

An item in the back caught his eye. It was a light grey back-pack style bag. It was definitely big enough to fit all of her books. It had a small rose gold plaque on the top and rose gold zippers to match. It was perfect. When he stepped inside, a sales associate offered to assist him.

"Are you shopping for anyone in particular today?"

"Uh, yeah. A girl." Dick wasn't sure why he was being so stealthy. It wasn't like this sales associate was going to run and tell Bruce.

"Oh!" The associate squealed with delight. "How about a nice sequin clutch, perfect for date night and the dance clubs." She presented the small item to him like it was a prize.

'That's the most impractical thing I've ever seen!' Dick thought to himself.

"Or maybe a nice tote bag? This item is very popular!"

'More like body-bag, that thing is huge!' He thought, chuckling to himself.

"Or—"

"Actually," Dick interjected "I was looking at that gray backpack over there."

"Ah…" The sales associate was a bit thrown off guard. "Yes, that's the… uh… perfect… plutonic gift for your lady friend."

"Yeah, I'll take that one please." Dick brushed off her slightly offensive comment. He paid the lady and got out of there as fast as possible, not eager to return any time soon.

Dick glanced down at his watch. It was 4:30 p.m. Barbara should be done with classes by now. So he sped off in the direction of her place. The drive left him time to dwell on the sale associate's comment from earlier. What did she mean by "plutonic"? What would she know about it anyways? Isn't buying a gift for a girl a romantic gesture in and of itself?

WAIT!— Was it?

Had Dick just performed a romantic gesture for a girl he wasn't officially romantically involved with? Dick shook his head vigorously. No, that's stupid. This is just a nice gesture for a nice friend. That's all Barbara will see it as… because that's all it is… right? He was doubting himself a little, but he had just arrived at Barbara's place, so he pushed it into the back of his mind.

He walked in the door, holding the backpack so that it was hidden behind him. Barbara was at her table typing away.

"Hey." He said, closing the door behind him.

"Oh hey! What's up?" She said, not looking up from her computer screen.

"Nothin', how were your classes?"

"Good, I'm just finishing up the last bit of homework now!"

"Oh, I can come back later?" Dick said, ready to turn back toward the door.

"Don't be silly, she looked up at him. Sit down! Do yo want something to drink?"

"Uh, no thanks. I'm good." He slipped the backpack under the table so that she wouldn't see it just yet.

A few moments of silence passed. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Not like he had experienced earlier that day with Bruce. It was a nice, peaceful silence.

"There, done!" Barbara let out a relieved sigh as she closed her laptop. "So, what did you do today, Grayson?"

"Uh…" Dick's feet were shifting nervously under the table. "Well, I actually got you something."

"Oh?" Barbara wasn't expecting that response.

"Yeah. Well, this morning I was noticing that your backpack is about to burst at the seams so I went and got you this…" He retrieved the backpack from underneath the table and handed it to her.

Barbara's eyes shot open wide. "Wow." Was all she could say. "A… Michael Kors backpack? Dick these are really exp—"

"It's just a token of my appreciation, you know, for letting me stay here. I think it's really gonna help me a lot."

Barbara smiled at him sweetly. His heart melted. "This was so thoughtful of you. But really, this is too much."

"Don't mention it. You needed a new one. So I got you a new one. That's the end of it." Dick was blushing a little, as was she.

She eagerly removed all her books and supplies from her old backpack and began organizing them into the new one.

"See? Now you don't have to worry about your books falling out on the way to school." He teased. She chucked. He was right, her old backpack had seen better days. She didn't think much of this gesture, sure she was appreciative, but she didn't think that it was especially out of the ordinary for Dick to do something nice for her. After all, they were close friends and had been for years.

"Hey, It's nearly dinner time, you wanna order some take-out?" Barbara said with a smile, shifting the subject. There's a really good Chinese place a couple blocks away!

"Sure." Dick said with a smile.

If you had asked him a month ago if he thought he would be in Barbara Gordon's apartment ordering take-out food and watching bad movies on her couch on her tiny laptop screen, he wouldn't have believed it. And yet, here he was. Slurping the best chow mien he had ever tasted and watching cheesy 1990's comedies with a beautiful red-headed woman. Thinking about the whole thing felt like an out of body experience.

Four bad movies later and Barbara was passed out on the couch. She was already in her pajamas, silky shorts and a plain tank top. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He changed into a pair of sweatpants that he brought over to change into and removed his teeshirt and climbed in beside her. Her slow and steady breathing had a hypnotizing effect on him and in moments he was fast asleep next to her.

There were a few points throughout the night when Dick would feel Barbara's arm or hand brush against his bare skin and it would send goose bumps up his spine. The warmth of her body next to his brought him such peace. They were snuggled close together on her full sized bed and Dick felt his heart begin to glow with happiness. This is where he wanted to be, not just for tonight but every night, for the rest of his nights.

Sunday morning the two young heroes slept in. Dick was awoken by the smell of fresh coffee and waffles. He sat up in bed and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"Morning!" Babs called over to him. "Breakfast is ready!"

He slowly rolled off the bed and walked over to the table, where she had placed a plate down for him. "You didn't have to do this."

"It's Breakfast, Dick. I was making some for me anyways. No big deal."

"Well, thanks. It looks delicious!"

"Thanks, it's from a box!" Barbara chuckled as she tossed the waffle mix box into the trash.

Dick finished his breakfast quickly as usual then got up from the table. "Well, I better get back to the manor, I've got patrol duty today." He cleared his dishes into Barbara's sink, rinsing them carefully.

"Okay, uh, I'll see you later?" Barbara said, finishing up her coffee.

There was this awkward moment where it felt like Dick was a loving husband leaving to go to work. He felt like he should kiss her goodbye. He wanted to, it felt right. But he refrained and suffered the silence instead. Barbara felt it too, she fidgeted with her cup to try and distract herself. Dick took this as his cue to leave, he gave a friendly wave before closing the door behind him.

'A wave? That must have looked so stupid…'

Dick got down to his motorcycle when he realized he hd forgotten his keys and wallet back in her apartment. He let out a heavy sigh as he began walking up the stairs again. He opened the door slowly, he heard Barbara's shower running, so he tried his best to duck in and out without being noticed to avoid any more awkward tension. The bathroom door was cracked slightly, but Barbara was already in the shower so she didn't see him reenter the apartment. He grabbed his wallet and keys off the nightstand and hurried back toward the door. He could have sworn just as he closed it behind him that he heard Barbara start singing her favorite song by Sarah Bareilles. He couldn't help but smile. His heart glowed at the thought of her singing her little heart out. She amazed him.

He made it down to his motorcycle once again and sped off back to Wayne manor.

His shift as Nightwing didn't begin on the streets of Gotham. It started in the Batcave, doing research and profiling on certain parts of town that were sure to be hotspots for crime.

A map of Gotham lit up the otherwise dark cave. A certain part of town immediately caught his eye. It was Barbara's neighborhood. The several blocks surrounding her apartment were lit up in red, indicating a high likelihood of criminal activity. It gave Dick some solace that he had been staying there with her the last few nights, he felt like he was better able to protect her that way. But Dick knew he couldn't be there all the time. In fact, he probably wouldn't be able to stay there tonight. He usually didn't finish his patrol on the streets until after 3 a.m. and Barbara had classes early the next morning, he would hate to wake her. The thought left his stomach feeling uneasy. But he had to push it aside, he had work to do.

Bruce had one of his elite social events to attend that evening, so Dick was the only hero on patrol for the whole evening, he would have to be on his toes. No scumbag could fall through the cracks.

Hours of profiling had passed and Dick glanced down to the corner of the screen to check the time: 7:52. Sunset was at 7:48, so it was dark now in Gotham. That's when the criminals came out. Dick dawned his Nightwing costume and sped off on his motorcycle out of the cave and toward the various slums of Gotham.

The first four hours of the evening had been pretty quiet. He stopped by Barbara's apartment and scared away a couple of teenage thugs setting off fireworks in the parking lot. He sat on her rooftop listening to his police radio and looking out onto the city. At some point Dick closed his eyes and just listened to the sounds on the streets.

"Let go of me you creep!" he heard a woman scoff at a man who responded in a presumably intoxicated manner. But when he heard the drunkard stumble off in the other direction, he let it go.

He heard another conversation between two young males. "Yo, man you got the stuff?" One said. "Nah, not until you pay me that two hundred you owe from last week." Said the other. "C'mon man, you know I'm good for the money, let me pass just this once?" The conversation ended with the first man angrily storming off and the second one getting into a car.

Then the police radio went off. "We have an armed suspect fleeing south down Main St., suspect attempted to break into Gotham's national bank. White male, 5'9, approximately 190 pounds. Approach with caution"

Dick leapt into action! He could see the intersection of Main and 3rd street from the roof. He jumped across the next few rooftops before dropping down, face to face with the suspect. Before the man could pull his gun up to fire, Dick kicked it out of his hand and down the alleyway. The man immediately raised his hands behind his head, dropping the item in his possession. He was clearly no stranger to crime, and no stranger to getting caught. Dick held the man until the cops arrived to cuff him. He then picked up the item that the man dropped, it was a bag filled with only $1,000 in cash.

"Clearly he's an amateur. This is the bank's bait money, it's rigged with ink. Not to mention the bank's silent alarm went off before he even made it to the vault…" Dick scoffed as they threw the man in the back of the squad car.

"Thanks for your help Robin!" One of the cops called out to him.

"It's Nightwing now…" He growled. But the cop didn't hear him.

It was now 1:25 a.m., a couple hours remaining in his shift. Dick was already feeling exhausted. He took a stroll through Gotham city park and perched himself up in a tree to get a better view. No more reports came through on the police scanner and the only sounds he could hear were car horns honking and a few stray drunk people trying to walk home. He kept an eye of a few of them to make sure they made it to their destinations safely and didn't wander into oncoming traffic.

An image of Barbara's face flashed through Dick's head. He pictured her sleeping face, her messy bed head, her steady breathing. He wanted to be next to her. He wanted to protect her, just like he did the city of Gotham. She was his city, his haven, his safe place. When Dick's patrol shift finally ended, he had to fight the urge to go to her place. He really didn't want to wake her. Plus, he was realizing that his feelings for her were becoming rapidly intense. Maybe a night away would give him a chance to organize his thoughts rationally and figure out what his next logical move should be.

Dick reluctantly returned to Wayne Manor. He entered through the Batcave, quickly changed into his sweats and a teeshirt and headed up to his room. His body was exhausted and fell into the bed with a hefty 'plop'. He rested his head onto the pillow hoping to get a few good hours of sleep. But being back in his room, in this bed, brought back the same frustrations as before. He couldn't sleep. Though this time he wasn't experiencing his usual fearful anxiety. It was replaced by a new kind of anxiousness. Almost like an itch. He felt restless. He didn't want to be in this bed, he wanted to be next to Barbara. Part of his body ached to be near her, to be close to her. Dick was quickly realizing that his feelings for her weren't going to be so easily rationed with. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted feel her touch, her lips. He had to shake his head to stop the mental images from going too far.

Another frustratingly restless night of no sleep had brought him to the conclusion that he wanted more than Barbara's friendship.

The night didn't go well for Barbara either. She woke up feeling poorly rested compared to the previous nights. She missed having Dick next to her. Sure he hogged the bed a little, but he was 6'3. That's to be expected. She had grown accustomed to the warmth of his body and the sound of his breathing. After two nights she had sort of become hooked on the idea of not sleeping alone. Before she had let him stay the night, she was used to sleeping alone. But how quickly things changed in a way she couldn't quite describe. She was beginning to wonder if letting him stay over had been such a good idea.

She rolled out of bed and made herself a cup of coffee and a singe waffle. She had to admit, she missed his company, though he was silent much of the time and always caught up in his own head, she had grown used to his presence, even after just a few short days.

Dick was devising a strategy to win Barbara over. The backpack was a good start, but he needed to plan his next move carefully. It shouldn't be something too obvious or too overbearing. He didn't want to overwhelm her, instead he wanted to slowly but surely sweep her off her feet.

When he finally rolled out of bed and downstairs he met Alfred in the kitchen.

"Where's Bruce?"

"At his weekly board meeting with Wayne enterprises." Alfred informed him while he was washing the dishes.

"Say, Alfred, do you think you could give me one of your famous recipes?"

"You'll have to be more specific than that, Master Grayson." He said, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"A dinner recipe, something that's a little fancy… but you know.. that I could actually do."

Alfred was quick to catch on to Dick's intentions. "Well, I happen to know Miss Gordon is a fan of Italian dishes. Perhaps I'll give you my recipe for Penne ala Vodka. It should be easy enough for even you to complete."

"Thanks, Alfred." Dick said, rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't all that insulted, Dick wasn't a very good cook. But he really wanted to impress Barbara with a home cooked dinner when she got home from her classes.

Alfred wrote out a list of ingredients and instructions, he took special care to insure they were _fool-proof!_ He handed the paper to Dick who graciously accepted it.

"Master Grayson?" Alfred called to the boy as he was dashing toward the front door.

"Yeah Alf?"

"I suggest a Sauvignon Blanc wine to pair with dinner. It would make the perfect finishing touch."

Dick shot the old man a smile. Alfred truly thought of everything.

Dick wandered down the isles of the grocery store, obviously a little lost. Alfred usually did most of the grocery shopping. Luckily, he even wrote down the ingredients in order of where they were located in the store.

He picked up a small onion and some garlic cloves first, since the produce was at the front of the store. Then he traveled to the dairy section for some parmesan cheese, butter and heavy cream. Then he wandered down the sauce isle where he found the tomato paste, pasta and olive oil. He had almost all of his necessary ingredients. Lastly, he travelled down the wine section of the store to retrieve the vodka and wine. Just as he was about to step into the checkout line, he spotted a display of various bouquets. Assorted roses, carnations, lilies and daisies were bunched up into little arrangements. Dick scanned the display until he found one bouquet with sunflowers in it, Barbara's favorite flower and placed it in his basket. He payed for his items and left the store to head to Barbara's apartment.

Barbara was barely able to focus in her lectures. Her night of restless sleep was beginning to catch up with her by the late afternoon and for some reason she couldn't get Dick off her mind. She felt like a little girl in middle school again, her feelings were consuming her and yet she couldn't even understand them. She was so excited to see Dick again, but so scared at the same time. Spending so much time with him lately had her really confused. Sure they had spend time together before, but never like this. It was almost intimate, it was like nothing they had experienced before, which usually centered around detective work and crime fighting.

She had no idea what the path ahead had in store for them, but being who she was, she couldn't just stop here. She had to find out what these feelings meant. She had confidence in her friendship with Dick, it was strong enough to withstand any obstacle— but she had never considered that it was strong enough to grow into something beyond a friendship.

By the time Dick had conquered the task of cooking his first home cooked meal, he had only managed to spill pasta sauce on his clothes once and burn his hand on the stove twice. That was far better than he had expected. He looked up at the clock, Barbara should be back any second now. He was starting to feel nervous. He set the table for the two of them, placing the bouquet in the center. He opened the wine and filled the two glasses beside each plate.

He took a deep breath when he heard the key enter the lock.

"Hey!" Barbara called, seeing Dick standing in her kitchenette. "Whats up—" Barbara's brain had just registered the sight before her eyes. Dick was standing in front of the stove with a delicious smelling meal beneath him.

"Wh-whats all this?"

"What does it look like? It's dinner."

"Did YOU make this?" Barbara was still in shock.

"Yeah, I made it! Don't look so terrified." He chucked at her surprised face. "C'mon it's just about ready. Take a seat."

"Uhhh, yeah okay." Yes, sitting down would be a wise idea, she thought when her knees began to feel a little weak. She then noticed the wine glasses and bouquet that had been placed on her table.

"Wow, Grayson, you really went all out!" she sniffed the wine and sipped it as he placed a full plate of food in front of her and then one in from of himself. "What's all this about?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"What do yo mean? I just thought you might appreciate not having to cook after a long day of classes."

"Oh, I do!" She nodded, cautiously taking a bite of the pasta. To her surprise it was delicious. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Well that was the point, I wanted to surprise you with something nice."

"You sure have been full of surprises lately." She smirked, sniffing one of the sunflowers. He smiled at her, thinking that perhaps his first move had been very successful.

"I just want you to know how much I appreciate you letting me stay here and all…"

It was then that Barbara noticed the dark circles under Dick's eyes had returned to their usual state of purple. "Yeah, it was kind of weird having the whole place to myself last night." She chuckled quietly, avoiding eye contact with him. "That bed seems so much bigger with just one person in it!"

"Yeah it was weird for me too. I didn't get much sleep." He looked down at his empty plate and swirled his wine glass.

"I could tell, you look pretty tired." Her voice had a concerned tone to it.

"I don't know what it is Barbara…" He shook his head in disbelief "But something about staying here with you gives me the most restful sleep I've had in ages." He saw her blush a little as she shot him a small smile. "I think it's because when I'm here, I feel like I can really protect you."

Barbara furrowed her brows in confusion. "Dick…" she sighed. "We've been over this, I don't need your protection, I can handle myself…" His head sunk down and his eyes darted away from hers. "But… I don't mind you staying here. In fact, it's been really nice getting to spend so much time with you." She took another sip of her wine to hide her blushing cheeks.

The two sat in silence until both of them had completely finished their meals. Dick cleared their plates and took them over to the sink. Barbara followed behind him to assist with the cleaning but he shook his head.

"Thank you again for dinner." She said to him sweetly.

Dick turned to face her and without thinking, he gently grasped her chin and kissed her lips gently. He probably would have kicked himself if he wasn't so distracted by the feel of her pillowy lips. When their faces parted, she looked up at him with her big green eyes and her pink lips formed a smile. He smiled back at her and then turned to continue washing the dishes.

Inside Barbara was totally flipping out over what had just happened, as was Dick. But they both played it cool. Barbara began working quietly on some homework. Dick joined her on the couch and began working on some case files and paperwork he needed to get done for Bruce.

Several hours had passed and the two had sat silently, occasionally exchanging a flirtatious glance. Barbara got up from the couch first to get ready for bed. But she returned to the couch and presented Dick with an assortment of things, loosely wrapped up in a towel.

"Uh… here." She nudged him softly. She handed him his own towel, a tooth brush and some Axe body wash. "I thought it would be easier if you had your own set of stuff here, that way you wouldn't have to take stuff back and forth all the time."

He smiled at her kind gesture. It showed him that she really did enjoy him being there, and that meant everything to him. "Thank you" He whispered. She smiled back at him before going into the bathroom to change.

She emerged in her pajamas, an oversized teeshirt with the Batman logo on it and some black spandex shorts. Dick had already moved onto the bed and was relaxing under the covers when she came to join him.

He chuckled when he noticed her teeshirt.

"What?" She questioned him.

"I think I'm gonna have to buy you a new shirt." He said jokingly.

"What's wrong with this one?" She said, admiring the large item of clothing.

"N-Nothing" He chuckled again. "It would just be so much better if it was a Nightwing tee shirt, don't you think?" He teased.

Barbara laughed as she made herself comfortable in the sheets, moving closer to Dick. "Yeah, whatever!" Rolling her eyes at him.

Their faces were inches apart now and their eyes met. An electric shock between them made their lips tingle, it was like a magnetic pull was forcing them closer and closer together. Their lips met once more. Only this kiss held the promise of being longer than the first. Dick placed a hand behind Barbara's head and ran his fingers through her hair. Barbara placed a hand on his shoulder, stroking it softly. Their tongues both broke free at the same time, deepening the kiss. Dick was now embracing Barbara's small frame in his arms and Barbara was stroking the back of his neck. When their breathing became shallow, they broke the kiss. Unsure of what to say next, Dick simply turned off the lamp and said, "Goodnight Barbara."

"Goodnight" she replied, with a large smile. Dick wrapped his arm around Barbara's waist and snuggled into the pillow.

The two fell fast asleep within moments. Dick was even more relaxed than before. He didn't think it was possible for him to sleep any better than the nights he stayed with Barbara previously. But something about kissing her and holding her tight made him fall asleep with such ease.

The two were abruptly awoken the next day by droplets of water falling on their heads. The apartment above Barbara's had a pipe burst and water was steadily dripping down right onto her mattress.

"Oh man, my mattress is completely soaked!" Barbara groaned as she wrung out her pillow case. "This totally sucks!"

There was a knock at the door and Dick courteously went to answer it. It was Barbara's landlord.

"I'm afraid your renters insurance doesn't cover any damage that occurs to your personal belongings Ms. Gordon. There is nothing we can do about your mattress. We will send someone to patch the ceiling within the next four to seven days."

Barbara tried her best not to lose it. She blew a piece of hair out of her face and directed her landlord to the door.

"One more thing, Ms. Gordon, I would consider replacing that mattress, before it begins growing mold, mold is grounds for eviction" Barbara slammed the door behind him as he left.

"This is just my luck!" She was pulling at her hair. "This is the last thing I need to stress about before a big t—" A look of terror washed over Barbara's face…

"TEST! OH MY GOD! I HAVE A TEST TODAY!" Dick watched Barbara as she began frantically running around her apartment, throwing on a black sweatshirt and grabbing her backpack. "I almost forgot! I'm gonna be so late!" She turned to Dick before she bolted out the door. "I'm so sorry! I have to go! I can worry about this later!"

And like that she was gone. Dick felt so bad. She had only been awake for all of about thirty minutes and she was already about to explode. She was so stressed already with school, the last thing she needed was to worry about a leaky ceiling and a moldy mattress.

Dick decided to make himself useful. Several hours had passed and he had successfully patched her ceiling and cleaned up any additional damage from the leak. He had taken her old mattress down to the dumpster and picked up one of those "bed in a box" style mattresses from a store down the street. When he opened it up and placed it on top of her bed frame. He decided to give it a whirl. Surprisingly, it was very comfortable. The perfect amount of firmness and pillowiness, he thought Barbara would be very pleased.

He could hardly wait to see the look on her face when she returned from class but when he finally heard the door open up behind him, he was not met with her usual cheery grin. She slouched through the doorway, threw her backpack on the ground and buried her face in her hands, letting out a frustrated scream.

"uh… hey!" Dick said quietly, feeling as though she wasn't expecting to see him.

"Oh! Hey… sorry… it's just today was…"

"I know." He said in a compassionate tone.

"I know I have to…"

"Don't worry, I took care of it."

"You?" Barbara looked up at him, shocked. She glanced up at the ceiling, there was almost no evidence of the leak that was there this morning. She then walked over to the bed and poked it with her finger. When it didn't feel like a wet sponge, she whipped around to face him.

"You did this?"

"…uh, yeah I just—" he started to feel his stomach drop. This wasn't really the reaction he was expecting. She didn't sound relieved.

"Why?" She said, her eyes squinting.

"You just, seemed stressed and I thought…"

"You thought I couldn't handle this on my own?" She scowled, putting her hands on her hips.

"What!? No! It's not that at all!" He said, shaking his head vigorously.

"All of these gifts… all of these gestures… it's like… like you don't think I can handle things myself…" She said, frustrated, she was pacing back and forth reflecting on the last week.

"You know I don't feel that way…" He said, attempting to take a step forward.

"No, I don't know that, Grayson… The evidence seems to support my hypothesis…" She said in a cold tone, pointing up at the ceiling and down at the bed.

"Look, I'm just gonna get out of here and give you some _space_. You've had a long day." He grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Later Babs." He said, waving, but avoiding turning around to face her.

When the door clicked shut. She collapsed to her knees and sobbed.

Dick reached the outside of Barbara's building, he gazed up to look at her window one last time before crossing the street. There was a nearby park that he thought he would camp out at for a few hours. I sure beat going back to Wayne manor and explaining to Bruce and Alfred that he wouldn't be spending anymore nights at Barbara's place. It wasn't the penne ala vodka that ruined it. It was Dick. The only thing he wanted was to protect her and keep her close, and in doing so, he pushed her further away. He wasn't ready to face that reality yet. So instead, he perched himself against a tree and watched the set set.

He reflected back on his life, the girls before Barbara. The truth of the matter was, Dick Grayson never had any difficulty getting a date. He was an attractive young bachelor of Gotham who was close to the Wayne family. He had everything a young man in his position could want— a mansion, cars, access to the latest tech. But his life as a crime fighter meant he could never let someone from the outside get too close. With Barbara, it was different. Getting closer to her felt so natural. She knew everything about him, his past, his secrets, everything he kept hidden from the world, she knew. 'But we hit a wall…' he thought to himself. Getting close had been so easy, too easy, and then something got in the way.

For a brief moment, he tried to imagine his life going forward. Would he and Barbara still be close? Would there be girls after Barbara?

His thoughts were broken by the sound of a sniffle coming from behind him.

"Hey…" a small voice said.

Dick turned around. It was Barbara, dabbing a tear from her eye. He felt a little foolish that he had only managed to get about fifty feet away from her apartment building. Dick didn't know what to say.

"Listen…" She said, walking over to him and grabbing his hand. He looked down into her glossy green eyes and she stared back up at him.

"I don't want any fancy gifts…" she began giving his hand a gentle squeeze "…and I don't need any romantic gesture." He glanced away for a moment, feeling ashamed, but she caught his gaze once more. "What I do want, is someone who will stand by my side…" He perked up a little bit 'I can do that…' he thought to himself

"And someone who won't run away just because I get a little hot-headed sometimes…" she said, shooting him a small grin, inching her body closer.

"Because the last thing I want in this world…" she was now centimeters from his lips "… is space from you."

Without thinking, Dick scooped her up into a big hug, smooshing his face against hers in a messy but ecstatic kiss.

Barbara broke the kiss "Now can we please go inside and watch a bad movie and eat Chinese food, because I've had a heck of a day." Dick laughed and released his grip on her waist. "That sounds great…"

They made their way back to her apartment. As they climbed the stairway to the third floor, Barbara looked back at him and asked "So, does Bruce know yet?"

"Know what?"

"…That I'm your girlfriend." She said with a wink.

End.

I'm going through my old computer files and finishing up some very old/unfinished stories. This one is a longer one for me, but I hope it still read well.


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